The Hwang Mansion had never felt this tense.
Even the smallest sound seemed noticeable.
The quiet footsteps of the servants.
The opening and closing of doors.
The guards moving through the corridors.
Everything felt different after what Yerin and Do-hyun had discovered.
Yerin sat in the study, looking through the security reports again.
The same access code.
The same restricted entrance.
The same unanswered questions.
She closed the file.
There had to be something they were missing.
Just then—
A knock came at the door.
Yerin looked up.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Han Seung-ho, the whole-house manager, stepped inside.
His expression was unusually serious.
"Madam Yerin."
She immediately noticed.
"What happened?"
He hesitated.
"We have a problem."
Yerin stood.
"What kind of problem?"
"Two staff members are missing."
Her expression changed.
"Missing?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Han Seung-ho lowered his head slightly.
"Kim Soo-jin and Park Dae-ho."
Yerin frowned.
"Positions?"
"Kim Soo-jin is one of the cleaners."
"And Park Dae-ho?"
"Night-shift security guard."
Yerin stared at him.
"When were they last seen?"
"Soo-jin finished her duties last night. She was supposed to report this morning but never appeared."
"And Dae-ho?"
"He completed his night shift. Another guard was supposed to take over in the morning."
He paused.
"He wasn't there."
Yerin's expression hardened.
"Did either of them request leave?"
"No."
"Did they tell anyone they were leaving?"
"No."
"Did security see them leave?"
"That's the problem."
Yerin stepped closer.
"What do you mean?"
"We can't find a record of either of them leaving through the main gates."
Silence.
Yerin looked toward Do-hyun.
He had entered the room quietly during the conversation.
"How long have you known?" he asked.
Han Seung-ho turned toward him.
"About an hour."
"Why didn't you tell us immediately?"
"I wanted to confirm their rooms first."
Yerin's voice became firm.
"Did you search them?"
"Yes."
"And?"
The manager hesitated.
"We found something."
Han Seung-ho placed two small objects on the table.
Two mobile phones.
Yerin stared at them.
Then slowly looked up.
"Those are phones."
"Yes."
"Why are they here?"
"We found them in their belongings."
Yerin's expression became confused.
"That's impossible."
Do-hyun looked at her.
She continued.
"You know the rules."
Han Seung-ho nodded.
"All household staff are prohibited from carrying personal mobile phones while working inside the mansion."
"Exactly."
Yerin looked back at the phones.
"They knew that."
"Everyone does," Han Seung-ho replied.
Yerin picked up one of the phones.
"Whose?"
"Kim Soo-jin's."
She looked at the second.
"And this one?"
"Park Dae-ho's."
Do-hyun crossed his arms.
"Did anyone know they had these?"
"No, sir."
Yerin slowly put the phone down.
"Then why would they have them?"
Nobody answered.
Do-hyun walked toward the table.
"Turn them on."
Han Seung-ho nodded.
The first phone unlocked easily.
Yerin looked through it.
Almost everything was empty.
Messages had been deleted.
Call history was almost completely cleared.
The same was true for the second phone.
Yerin frowned.
"They cleaned everything."
"Not everything," Do-hyun said.
She looked at him.
He pointed toward the screen.
"There."
A notification was still visible.
A deleted message had left behind a trace.
Yerin leaned closer.
The sender was unknown.
There was no saved name.
Only a number.
She looked at Do-hyun.
"Can we recover it?"
"We'll try."
She opened the other phone.
There was another strange detail.
A recently deleted call.
One number had been contacted repeatedly over the last several days.
Yerin's eyes narrowed.
"They were communicating with someone."
Do-hyun nodded.
"Looks like it."
She looked at Han Seung-ho.
"Did they ever behave strangely?"
The manager thought for a moment.
"Soo-jin had been quieter recently."
"How?"
"She sometimes seemed nervous."
"And Dae-ho?"
"He asked several questions about the old security system."
Yerin immediately looked at Do-hyun.
"The old security system?"
Han Seung-ho nodded.
"Yes."
"What kind of questions?"
"He wanted to know which cameras were still operational and which entrances were restricted."
Yerin's face hardened.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Do-hyun looked at the two phones again.
"Now we have a reason to find out."
Yerin stood.
"Lock the mansion down."
Han Seung-ho looked at her.
"Madam?"
"No one leaves."
Her voice was calm.
But there was anger underneath it.
"Increase security around every entrance. Check every vehicle. Nobody comes inside without authorization, and nobody leaves without my permission."
"Understood."
"Also suspend all outside deliveries until further notice."
"Yes."
Yerin turned toward Do-hyun.
"Find them."
He nodded.
"I'll send a team."
"Not one team."
She looked at the security manager.
"Two."
"Yes, Madam."
"One team searches the areas around the mansion."
She pointed toward the security reports.
"The second team follows their last known movements."
The manager immediately began making calls.
Within minutes, the mansion changed completely.
Guards appeared throughout the corridors.
The gates were closed.
Security vehicles moved outside the property.
Every entrance was being monitored.
Yerin stood in the center of the lounge as the security staff gathered around her.
"Listen carefully."
Everyone became silent.
"Nobody leaves this property without authorization."
She looked at each guard.
"If anyone tries to leave without permission, stop them and inform me immediately."
"Yes, Madam."
"And find those two."
Her voice became colder.
"I don't care how long it takes."
Yerin then ordered the remaining staff to stay in the lounge.
One by one, she questioned them.
"When did you last see Soo-jin?"
A cleaner answered.
"Last night, Madam."
"What time?"
"Around ten."
"Where?"
"Near the west corridor."
Yerin nodded.
Then looked at another employee.
"And Dae-ho?"
"During the night shift."
"When?"
"Around eleven."
"Was he alone?"
The guard hesitated.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Yerin's eyes narrowed.
"Think carefully."
The guard swallowed.
"There was someone near the restricted hallway."
The room went silent.
"Who?"
"I couldn't see their face."
"What were they doing?"
"Standing near the security panel."
Yerin's expression changed.
"Why didn't you report it?"
"I thought it was Dae-ho."
"Did you see Dae-ho afterward?"
"No."
Yerin stepped back.
Do-hyun watched her carefully.
The pieces were beginning to connect.
The restricted entrance.
The disabled cameras.
The missing staff.
The secret phones.
And now—
Someone near the security panel.
Several hours passed.
There was still no sign of Soo-jin or Dae-ho.
Yerin sat in the study with Do-hyun.
The two phones were on the desk between them.
Do-hyun looked at the screen.
"The data is damaged."
"Can you recover anything?"
"Some things."
"What?"
"One of the phones received a message yesterday."
Yerin immediately leaned forward.
"What did it say?"
"Most of it is gone."
He showed her the recovered fragment.
Only a few words remained.
Don't stay at the mansion tonight.
Yerin's eyes widened.
"When was it sent?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
She looked at the second phone.
"Anything there?"
Do-hyun checked.
"One call."
"From?"
"The same unknown number."
Yerin stared at him.
"Call it."
"We don't know who's on the other end."
"I don't care."
Do-hyun shook his head.
"We shouldn't call from our own number."
Yerin paused.
He was right.
If someone was watching them, they could reveal that the phones had been found.
"Then track it."
"I already asked."
Yerin looked at him.
"And?"
"The number is inactive."
Her expression hardened.
"Of course it is."
Do-hyun leaned back.
"They knew this would happen."
Yerin looked toward the window.
"They ran."
"Maybe."
She turned back.
"Or someone made them run."
Neither spoke.
Months Later.
The investigation continued quietly.
The two missing staff members were never immediately found.
Their disappearance became another unanswered question surrounding the Hwang family.
Yerin refused to let it go.
Neither did Do-hyun.
Their professional lives became busier with each passing month.
Yerin began taking a larger role in the family business, learning how everything worked.
Do-hyun continued building his company and handling increasingly important responsibilities.
But whenever another clue appeared, they investigated it together.
The mystery remained.
Grandmother's poisoning.
The restricted entrance.
The secret access code.
The missing staff.
The mysterious phones.
And the unknown person behind it all.
Then, one evening—
Yerin's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her eyes widened.
"Ji-hoon."
She immediately answered.
"Oppa?"
His voice came through.
"Yerin."
She smiled.
"Where are you?"
"At the airport."
Her smile disappeared.
"You're coming back?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"I'm already here."
Yerin stood immediately.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
She laughed.
"You succeeded."
Do-hyun looked at her from across the room.
"What happened?"
Yerin covered the phone.
"Ji-hoon is back."
Do-hyun's expression softened.
"Finally."
She returned to the call.
"We're coming to get you."
Later that evening, Yerin and Do-hyun arrived at the airport.
Yerin stood near the arrivals gate, constantly looking toward the doors.
"It's been months."
Do-hyun smiled.
"I know."
She looked at him.
"He better not have changed."
"I'm sure he hasn't."
"Maybe he became more annoying."
"That's possible."
Yerin laughed.
"Very possible."
The arrivals doors opened.
People began walking through.
Yerin searched the crowd.
Then—
She saw him.
Ji-hoon.
He was carrying a small travel bag and walking toward them.
Yerin's face immediately lit up.
"Oppa!"
She walked quickly toward him.
Ji-hoon smiled.
"Hey."
She hugged him tightly.
"You disappeared for months!"
"I know."
"You didn't even visit."
"I was busy."
"You could've called more."
"I did call."
"Not enough."
Ji-hoon laughed.
"I missed you too."
Yerin finally stepped back.
She looked at him carefully.
"You look tired."
"I am."
Do-hyun approached them.
Ji-hoon looked at him.
"Do-hyun."
"Welcome back."
They shook hands.
Ji-hoon smiled.
"How have you been?"
"Busy."
Ji-hoon glanced at Yerin.
"Taking care of her?"
Do-hyun looked at Yerin.
"Trying."
Yerin immediately protested.
"I don't need to be taken care of."
Both men looked at her.
Then exchanged a small smile.
Yerin sighed.
"Don't start."
Ji-hoon laughed.
"It's good to see you."
Yerin smiled.
"It's good to have you back."
The three of them got into the car.
For the first few minutes, the conversation was light.
Ji-hoon asked about the company.
Yerin told him about her plans.
Do-hyun mentioned the changes happening in his business.
Everything felt almost normal.
Until Yerin remembered.
She turned toward her brother.
"Oppa."
"Hm?"
"Something happened while you were gone."
Ji-hoon's expression changed.
"What?"
Yerin told him about the missing staff.
Kim Soo-jin.
Park Dae-ho.
The phones.
The restricted entrance.
The security records.
She watched his reaction carefully.
Ji-hoon became completely silent.
Do-hyun noticed too.
Yerin frowned.
"You know something."
Ji-hoon looked out the window.
"I've heard those names before."
Yerin's heart skipped.
"Where?"
Ji-hoon didn't answer.
"Oppa."
He remained silent.
Do-hyun glanced at him through the rear-view mirror.
"Ji-hoon."
Ji-hoon finally looked at them.
"I need to see everything you found."
Yerin stared at him.
"Why?"
His expression was serious.
"Because I don't think those two disappeared by accident."
The car fell silent.
Yerin slowly turned toward Do-hyun.
He was already looking at her.
After months of unanswered questions, Ji-hoon's return had brought something unexpected.
A connection.
A name.
And perhaps the first person who could finally explain what had been happening inside the Hwang Mansion.
...To Be Continued...